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POSTED July 23, 5:36 PM
![]() President Bush makes a statement on drilling for oil on the outer continental shelf, Monday, July 14,2008, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) Oil shale is a fuel source with a low EROEI. Some have estimated it as low as 3 compared to offshore drilling that has an EROEI of about 15. We currently get 85% of our total energy from fossil fuels. We can’t change this dependency overnight, so unless we want to do without energy and suffer terrible disruptions to our economy, we will need to continue to produce fossil fuels. We should be developing our fossil fuel sources with the highest EROEI and lowest carbon load first. Hopefully, if we also develop renewable energy resources at the same time, we will never need to develop the low EROEI fossil fuel sources at all. We should be using the profits from offshore oil development to fund renewable fuel development. George Bush is not helping energy development matters by pushing oil shale. It only gives those opposed to any development more reasons to oppose the offshore oil development. Oil shale, unlike offshore drilling, will require new and unproven technologies. The technology to drill offshore has already been developed and proven. Instead of investing in new technology for oil shale development, we should use the investment money to develop renewable energy. George Bush just does not see global warming as a problem. His administration has done very little to address this major issue. I do not count ethanol development as helping global warming. It takes about as much energy (usually from natural gas) to produce an equivalent amount of ethanol. This is a process with a low EROEI value of about 1.0. The reason that George Bush likes ethanol is because it reduces our use of imported oil, essentially substituting natural gas. It is also a popular program with corn farmers. I hope that the politicians in Washington can understand that we need a balanced program to solve our energy problems. Most people in the country approve of offshore drilling. If the politicians would listen to the voters we could end up with a good energy bill. George Bush is not helping matters by trying to push oil shale at this time. |
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POSTED July 21, 4:57 PM
Does it make sense to not drill offshore? If we just leave all the oil where it is; doesn’t that help make global warming better?The answer is no! The amount of recoverable oil offshore is probably over 30 billion barrels. (I am including the 11... Read More
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POSTED July 16, 4:02 PM
At last a sensible plan for oil development is emerging from Congress, but without the support of congressional leaders. A by-partisan group of Democratic and Republican lawmakers is working on a plan to open 574 million acres of coastal waters. The... Read More
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POSTED July 15, 3:47 PM
Energy Return On Energy Investment (EROEI) is an important concept to understand and a concept that is severely lacking in our current political debate on new energy sources.EROEI is simply defined as:EROEI = Energy Produced / Energy UsedFor example:... Read More
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POSTED July 7, 4:32 PM
Florida is seeing some early activity 125 miles off its coast along the Panhandle. This is the result of a 2006 congressional compromise that opened this small area in exchange for keeping the moratorium on drilling along the rest of its shoreline.... Read More
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POSTED June 25, 2:52 PM
This is an example of how I think we will progress from our glutinous carbon emitting present to a non-carbon energy future. It will be a slow process of incremental improvements, instead of a sudden and immediate shift in direction. We can’t... Read More
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POSTED June 20, 10:46 AM
It seems so simple. If you just stop drilling, you can reduce global warming. But, that may not be the result. We have to consider the effects of policy in the context of a world economy. Restricting drilling will reduce supply, which should raise... Read More
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POSTED June 19, 12:25 PM
Our market economy has been sending us price signals that gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel are all becoming scarce. Higher prices should cause an increase in production and a decrease in demand to make supply and demand balance at a market price. When... Read More
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POSTED June 18, 12:54 PM
President Bush and Presidential Candidate John McCain have both called for opening up off-shore areas for drilling. The democrats in congress and Presidential Candidate Barack Obama call for drilling restrictions to remain in place. Does... Read More
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POSTED June 9, 1:30 PM
The Electric Hybrid car design uses a battery with a backup gasoline or diesel engine to provide power after the battery power is used up. General Motors has announced that their Chevy Volt electric car will get at least 40 miles on a charge. Assuming... Read More
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